Derby are now unbeaten in six matches and growing in confidence after three consecutive wins.

They have been playing catch up for much of the first three months of the season. They are now within touching distance of the Championship's top six with a game in hand.

Sam Winnall is congratulated by Derby County team-mate Craig Forsyth after putting the Rams 2-1 up against Norwich City at Carrow Road (Image: Andy Clarke)

Of course it is still early in the season, of course there are 33 games still to play but Derby have shown by drawing at Cardiff and beating Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich in recent weeks that progress is being made.

Performances have not always been convincing and the result of a game can hide issues, but to be a serious contender in this division a team has to be capable of picking up points in different ways.

This season's Championship is wide open. There is not a Brighton nor a Newcastle United. There are many organised, committed teams who are on a par but nothing to fear.

And Derby showed no fear at Norwich.

What they showed was a collection of the characteristics needed - resilience, hard work, a desire to defend, mental strength and quality when it mattered.

The end result was perhaps the Rams' best all-round display on the road since a 3-0 win at Ipswich in January - the last time Derby sat in the top six - or even the 2-0 victory at Hull in the second leg of the play offs in 2016.

Derby County striker David Nugent celebrates putting the Rams 1-0 up against Norwich City at Carrow Road (Image: Andy Clarke)

All teams need slices of good fortune. Derby had that in beating Sheffield Wednesday, and again at Norwich.

Marco Stiepermann's rising drive after 18 minutes crashed down off the underside of the bar and the ball stayed out. If Derby breathed a sigh of relief in that moment, they did seven minutes before the break.

Scott Carson tried to let the ball run out for a goal kick, but he misjudged the situation. Josh Murphy nipped in behind the keeper and looked to work his way along the by-line towards the unguarded net.

In a desperate attempt to recover, Carson appeared to wrestle with Murphy before making a last-ditch tackle in which he made contact with the ball.

First, there was the pull back on Murphy and then a challenge which was from behind. Can you tackle from that angle anymore? It would certainly have been a free kick anywhere else on the pitch, which means it should have been a penalty.

Had it been given it would surely have resulted in a red card for Carson.

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

Click to playTap to play

The video will start in 8Cancel

Play now

"We should receive two penalties,” Norwich boss Daniel Farke said with a wry smile afterwards.

Fine lines are everywhere you look in games. All teams ride their luck at times and the key is to take full advantage.

Derby did in added time at the end of the first half.

They had up the this point fashioned some promising moments without making the most of them, but that changed when Christoph Zimmermann failed to read Tom Huddlestone's step over on Richard Keogh's pass, and David Nugent was in on goal.

Nugent still had plenty to do, and how well he did it - curling his shot from 20 yards beyond Angus Gunn's dive.

Striker Chris Martin improved Derby's control when he replaced the out-of-touch Matej Vydra for the second half although it needed Carson to make a fantastic stop at his back post to deny Stiepermann an equaliser on the hour.

But Norwich drew level 10 minutes later.

Derby should have done more to cut out Stiepermann's cross to the back post where Timm Klose rose to head in.

The impetus was with the home side, but Derby's reaction to being pegged back was impressive.

Nugent wasted a chance to grab a second goal and Gunn saved from Keogh before Bradley Johnson, in for the injured Johnny Russell, saw his cross-shot parried and there was substitute Sam Winnall to find the empty net from a few yards.

Behind for a second time, could Norwich respond again at the end of what had been a physically and mentally demanding week for them in which they beat rivals Ipswich and took Arsenal to extra time in the Carabao Cup?

Derby were in no mood to allow that to happen.

Centre backs Keogh and Davies were excellent, as was Carson (putting his 38th-minute misjudgement to one side) and also midfield sentry Joe Ledley. Johnson showed his value in his best position playing narrow left in a 4-2-3-1 which became a 4-4-1-1 without the ball.

The desire to defend, the determination to win was summed up when both Keogh and Davies went to head the same ball in the 97th minute!

All of the players played their part in a lively contest but football is always about the next hurdle, the next test.

4 mins: Quick start by Norwich. Derby struggle to deal with a James Maddison corner and Christoph Zimmermann's low shot is saved by Scott Carson.

16 mins: Norwich so close to an opening goal. The ball breaks kindly into the path of Marco Stiepermann whose rising strike from an angle beats Carson and bounces down off the underside of the bar and stays out.

21 mins: Derby work a good opening but Bradley Johnson drills the ball high across the face of goal.

23 mins: Carson called into action. The Rams keeper dives high to his left to push away a drive from Josh Murphy.

38 mins: Carson breathes a huge sigh of relief. He tries to be clever in letting the ball roll out of play and behind for a goal kick, but Murphy reads the keeper's intentions. He nips in and looks to work his way along the by-line towards an empty net but appears to be pulled back by Carson, who also makes a challenge from behind. He plays the ball, but can you tackle from that angle? A big let off for Derby.

45+1 mins: Derby take full advantage of their slice of good fortune. Tom Huddlestone steps over Richard Keogh's pass, Norwich defender Zimmermann misses the ball, David Nugent takes a touch and curls his shot from 20 yards beyond Angus Gunn to put the Rams ahead. Fine finish.

53 mins: Terrific left-foot volley from Huddlestone is tipped over by Gunn. Excellent technique by the midfielder.

60 mins: What a save from Carson. Murphy's inswinging cross from the right finds Stiepermann whose goal-bound effort is somehow kept out by the Rams keeper, who throws himself to his back-post to make the save.

70 mins: Norwich equalise through Timm Klose, who rises at the back post to head in a cross from Stiepermann.

72 mins: Chance for Derby to retake the lead. Chris Martin wins the ball in the area and picks out Nugent, who scuffs his shot when he should have done better. The ball rolls to Bradley Johnson and he finds the net, but is flagged off-side.

79 mins: Back come Derby. Keogh receives a pass from Sam Winnall in the box and sees his striker parried by Gunn.

83 mins: Derby back in front. Johnson's firm strike is pushed out by Gunn and substitute Sam Winnall is in the six-yard box to tuck the ball into an empty net.

88 mins: Mistake by Norwich keeper gives Winnall another sight of an open net but he is beaten in a race to the ball by Zimmermann and Gunn.

90+1 mins: Norwich search for a second equaliser and Cameron Jerome's fierce rising drive just clears the bar.